Shoulder pad for garments and the like



April 27,1954 B. SKIROW ETAL 2,676,328

SHOULDER PAD FOR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 28. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l INgNZR5.

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B. sKlRbw EI'AL SHOULDER PAD FOR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE April 27, I954 5 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Feb. 28. 1951 Ap 1954 B. SKIROW EFAL SHOULDER PAD FOR GARMENTS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 28, 1951 Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE SHOULDER PAD FOR GARMENTS 1 AND THE LIKE Ben Skirow and Nathan Skirow, Chicago, Ill. Application'February 28, 1951, Serial No. 213,218

' 3 Claims. (01. 2- 268) This invention relates to garment pads and more particularly to pads for use in garment shoulders to impart to the garment a desired shoulder effect. The present invention constitutes an improvement over that disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,511,483, issued June 13, 1950.

A. primary object of the present invention is to devise a pad of economical construction and having sulficient body to retain its shape indefinitely.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a pad such as above described, means for holding the pad snugly against the shoulder to conform precisely to the configuration thereof.

Another object of the invention is to devise a pad which may be more economically fabricated than those known to the prior art.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a stiffener embedded in the padding which is contained within an envelopeto prevent shifting of the mass within the envelope during compression thereof in a preheated die which shapes the mass to shoulder pad configuration of generally lunate form, tapering in cross-sectional area from the shoulder end of the pad to the opposite end thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining tension between the its opposite end shoulder end of the pad and along the center line thereof, whereby when the pad is pulled into position at its shoulder end the opposite end snugly hugs the shoulder contour.

A further object of the invention is to devise a novel and economical method for fabricating a pair of identical shoulder pads such asabove described.

A different object of the invention is to devise a method by means of which either square or rounded effect may be obtained at the shoulder end of the pad.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a groove in the. top surface of the pad inwardly of the shoulder end thereof and approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the pad, thereby facilitating stitching of the pad to the garment.

The foregoing and other objects and advan tages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a padding pancake and its envelope utilized in the first step-of fabriveating the novel shoulder pad;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a pair of backing segments adapted, when joined, to form the upper or lower half of the envelope;

Fig. 3 illustrates the layer segments of Fig. 2 after joinder thereof;

Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one-half of the pancake and its envelope;

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation taken from the bot tom of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 5, with a roll of padding material and an elastic cord assembled therewith prior to wrapping thereof in a reinforcing envelope;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the assembly shown in Fig. 7, with an inner layer of reinforcing material and an outer layer of backing material prior to wrapping of said layers around the assembly to form inner and outer envelopes;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the reinforcing layer shown in Fig. 8;

.Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the completed pad after compression thereof in a preheated die;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the pad;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the pad taken from the inner end thereof;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line |3-l3 of Fig. 10; and

Fig.- 14 is a perspective view showing a garment containing a pair of the pads in position upon the backing layer shoulders.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to Fig. 1, a plurality of very soft compressible discs 4 of cotton or similar material are stacked in a pancake and are graduated in size from top. to bottom. The discs 4 are preferably, although not necessarily, covered by a stiffener disc 6 of crinoline or other suitable material, such as tailors canvas which has been sized to afford a stiff but flexible disc, substantially noncompressible under the pressure exerted by the preheated forming die as hereinafter described.

1 The disc 6 is preferably provided with a pair of aevasce view. The mating concave edges of the segments. 14 are joined together in any convenient manner, as by stitching, to form a seam It which constitutes a tension member across the layer 22 causing it to curl at opposite edges thereof, as at it, for a purpose hereinafter described. It will be understood, however, that this feature may, if desired, be eliminated by forming each layer l2 of a single segment of backing material sufficiently large to form an envelope for the stack. of discs 4, 6 and I0, and if desired the layers 12 may be entirely eliminated.

The layers ii are then preferably stitched, as at fail, to each other through the discs l, 6 and In, which thus constitute a soft readily compressible pancake or mass '22, as best seen in Fig. 6 The disc 6 constitutes a stiffener structure embedded within the mass 22, which is then out in half, as shown in Figs. and 6, along a plane substantially p rpendicular to that or the seam (6, if that feature is utilized. (It may be noted that this cut joins the slots 3 in the stiffener disc so that said slots may be used, desired, to guide the cutting tool (not shown) The cutting process provides a pair of units, one of which is shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6 and 3, wherein it will be seen that the unit comprises a semir-ound readily compressible 22 of cotton with a similar shaped disc ii embedded therein, said mass being contained within an open envelope defined by the top and bottom layers ll of backing material which have been stitched together as previously described at It may also be noted that the seams it of the envelope defined by the layers l2 are under tension from the flat end i i of the unit to the opposite end thereof along the longitudinal center line thereof. As best seen in Fig. 5, the 22 is greatest at the vertical center line of its flat edge and tapers therefrom in all directions to its arcuate perimeter.

The unit shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is then preferably wrapped within an inner stiffener layer at of sized crinoiine, tailors canvas or similar material and is also wrapped within an outer baclring layer 23 of felt or similar material, both of said layers being wrapped around the flat edge of the mass to define inner and outer envelopes within which may be positioned a resilient cord 33. If a round rather than a square shoulder efiect is desired, a roll 32 of compressible material, such as cotton, also be folded within the layers 23 and 23 across the flat edge of the padding mass, as shown in Fig. 7.

The layer 26 is preferably slotted, as at 2'! (Fig. 9), at diametrically opposite sides thereof to facilitate folding or wrapping thereof, and to permit the layer to conform more readily to the shape of the mass, as previously described, and prei'erab Y the layer 2&3 is wetted before it is wrapped around the mass 22, whereby upon compression of the entire assembly in a preheated die the envelope formed by the layer 26 is permanently united with the pad-ding mass 22, the outer backing layer 28, and resilient cord 38 because of the adhesive action of the wetted sizing.

It, may be noted that during this compression process the stiffener t is effective to give body to the mass 22 to thereby avoid excessive shifting of the mass within its innermost envelope defined by the layers it.

After the layers 23 have been wrapped around the mass 22 and the resilient cord as well as the roll 32 if desired, and after this entire assembly has been compressed in a preheated molding die, the assembly is permanently formed to the finished shoulder pad configuration illustrated in Figs. 10 to 14, as generally designated at 34 therein. The completed pad, as best seen in Figs. 10 and 12, is approximately lunate in form at the shoulder end thereof and tapers toward the opposite end, the seams [6, which are not, shown in these figures, causing tension along the longitudinal center line of the pad at approximately the line lS-Hi of Fig. 10. As disclosed and claimed in the above-mentioned patent, the cord 30 is effective to yieldingly maintain the padding mass in this lunate form, and, as best seen in Figs. 11 and 13, the tension caused by the seams It causes the inner end of the pad to curl slightly, as at 35, whereby when the shoulder end of the pad 34 is pulled downwardly at the opposite sides thereof, as at 38, around the shoulder, the end 36 tightly hugs the contour of the shoulder to afford a smooth snug fit there-on, facilitating stitching of the pad to the garment :28 shown in Fig. 1%.

As best seen in Figs. 10, ii and 13, the pad at is provide with an rcuate groove 52 in its upper surface adjacent the shoulder end thereof, said groove affording a convenient means of positioning the sleeve portion i i (Fig. 14) of the garment with respect to the pad. The sleeve portion is then stitched along said groove to the pad and to the garment til.

Changes may be made in form and substance without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages and the right is hereby reserved to make all changes which fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A shoulder pad comprising a padding mass approximately crescent, shape in cross section at its shoulder end and tapering in cross sectional area to a point at its opposite end, an inner envelope containing said mass and conforming to the shape thereof, an outer envelope enclosing said first envelope and said mass, said outer envelope comprising top and bottom layers, each in the form of a pair of segments having concave mating edges joined together in a seam exten ing approximately along the longitudinal center line or". said mass, said seam being adapted to maintain constant tension between the shoulder end of said pad and its opposite end along the center line of said pad.

2. A method of fabricating a shoulder pad comprising the steps of forming a substantially semiround padding mass having a fiat straight edge and tapering towards its perimeter fr 111 said edge, then wrapping said mass within a layer of backing material, then enclosing said mass and backing material in an envelope, then enclosing the envelope together with a roll of resilient compressible material positioned along the flat edge thereof in a second envelope and then placing the composite whole in a forming die until said mass is permanently shaped to shoulder pad configuration.

3. A method of fabricating shoulder pads comprising the steps of forming a padding mass 01 resilient compressible material approximately lunate in cross section at its shoulder end anc tapering in cross sectional area at its oppositl end, wrapping said mass in a layer of wetted S1284 material, enclosing said mass in a fabric en velope to form a composite padding mass an configuration.

References Cited in the file of this atent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Nielsen Oct. 14, 1941 Gillman May 7, 1946 Kaplan Jan. 21, 1947 Freeman Apr. 29, 1947 Number Number Name Date Bloom Aug. 5, 1947 Lefi Nov. 25, 1947 Farrell Aug. 31, 1948 Diamond Feb. 15, 1949 Bernstein July 19, 1949 Skirow et a1. June 13, 1950 Lop ato Nov. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Mar. 4, 1937 

